Apple wants to take my 2008 MBP & give me 2009?

Yes I bought a refurbished MBP early 2008, with glossy screen. When it got here, it had a matte. So the only one they have is the new 2009, and they will give it to me!! no extra charge?! I just wanna know, what you guys think? I like this keyboard and I can live with the matte screen. I also like my trackpad, not sure about the 2009. What should I do?!

The unibody has a few disadvantages that I've found after having a replacement like they are offering you.
1) The screen hinges 15" are not quite strong enough in my opinion. Your screen will fall back if you pick the computer up to move it and set it back down again.
2) With the addition of glass to the equation, if you would drop something onto the palm area of your computer and it happened to hit the trackpad, there is a chance it could crack or break entirely (i.e. coffee mug).
3) The keyboard: meh it's not that bad. Just like the aluminum keyboards they have.
4) Lack of FW400: if you plan on using your DV camera, you will need to buy a DV->FW800 cable or male 800->female 400 adapter.
5) It's a pain in the butt trying to fit that little display adapter in the hole! Not to mention having to pay $30 for a tiny adapter... ugh
6) Battery life is less than stellar. (4.5hr of normal use) on the "better battery" setting and ~3-3.5 on the Better Performance setting.

But the pros are: You get a new computer with the latest technology and dual graphics processors (that will both take advantage of Snow Leopard), possibly a bigger HD if your stock was 200, Faster RAM clock speed (1066 as opposed to 800/667)
The screen is much brighter as well, and I have found it to have more rich colors than my previous glossy display. (personal opinion there)

Go for it! Unless you dont like the idea of having an adaptor for firewire 400 (if you use it) i say grab as modern architecture as you can! If anything, it will have a higher resale value at the end of the day so your almost making money by doing it!

Why don't you just sell the unibody mbp for cash and than buy a classic mbp? You'll still have some money left over.

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Something doesn't sound right here. Why would you keep a "REFURBISHED" "NOT NEW" Macbook pro over a new one? You can get a BRAND NEW early Macbook pro (plenty left over) and still keep a few hundred from selling it?
Your either not the sharpest tool in the shed or this whole scenario is fiction.

I was a little apprehensive about the Uni MBPs as well, but I can say now that this is without a doubt the best computer I've EVER had. There are quite a few valid pros and cons above, but in terms of look, feel, and just use, I'm completely in love with it.

I'd say take the Uni, especially since you'll be getting a spec boost at the same time most likely.

Something doesn't sound right here. Why would you keep a "REFURBISHED" "NOT NEW" Macbook pro over a new one? You can get a BRAND NEW early Macbook pro (plenty left over) and still keep a few hundred from selling it?
Your either not the sharpest tool in the shed or this whole scenario is fiction.

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the other one is a refurb to. Just an upgrade. I'm not thrilled with the glass trackpad and keyboard.

1) The screen hinges 15" are not quite strong enough in my opinion. Your screen will fall back if you pick the computer up to move it and set it back down again.

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That's incorrect term to use; it's not stronger or weaker; the unibody computer use a counter-balance hinge and the classic machines used a friction hinge. Friction hinge means it work based on friction and counter-balance is based on a spring that counter-balances the weight of the displaythis requires the computer to be a level surface.

2) With the addition of glass to the equation, if you would drop something onto the palm area of your computer and it happened to hit the trackpad, there is a chance it could crack or break entirely (i.e. coffee mug).

That's incorrect term to use; it's not stronger or weaker; the unibody computer use a counter-balance hinge and the classic machines used a friction hinge. Friction hinge means it work based on friction and counter-balance is based on a spring that counter-balances the weight of the display—this requires the computer to be a level surface.

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It allows the screen to move more freely than the previous generation was my point. And there are very few people who use their computer on a level surface 100% of the time... It's inevitable you will want to work with the computer on your lap or move it to another location.

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You're not suppose to drop anything on the computer anyways.

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Duh... accidents happen though, otherwise they wouldn't be called accidents.

I just wanted them to be aware of some things I had noticed with my own machine that were different from the older version (in practical real-life use scenarios) No sense getting something they won't like just because it's newer.

Also I should probably mention, I have noticed some abnormalities on my Samsung external display (snowy, flickering, weird colors etc. since my Unibody came) These have been documented in other threads, but with no solution yet.

the other one is a refurb to. Just an upgrade. I'm not thrilled with the glass trackpad and keyboard.

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How can you not like the new trackpad? I love mine, and whenever I try using my cousin's (Classic MBP) or even my sister's (White Macbook), I hate the feeling of it compared to mine...and not having a button is not a problem for me, since I use tap to click 90% of the time. Of course, all of that is personal preference, but you should just give it a shot, and who knows, you might fall in love with it just like most of us here.

Something doesn't sound right here. Why would you keep a "REFURBISHED" "NOT NEW" Macbook pro over a new one? You can get a BRAND NEW early Macbook pro (plenty left over) and still keep a few hundred from selling it?
Your either not the sharpest tool in the shed or this whole scenario is fiction.

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DITTO. Just get the new one, sell it... then buy the one you want AND HAVE SOME CASH TO SPARE. What do you have to lose? It sounds stupid not to.

I was playing with the new one at best buy. it didn't really help much since you cant lift it and the table is REALLY low. The few things I did see though was that you really had to push hard on the track pad to get a click! Maybe it was REALLY used? it was on display, so that could be the cause? How do you guys like the keyboard? New keyboard VS Old Keyboard? I'm dont care about the GPU since the 8600m gt will run total war games, and thats all I play.

I was in a similar situation and took the unibody. This is the first glossy display that I have owned and it takes a little time to get used to it. I bought the FW400 to FW800 adapter for $20 and it works. The hinges are good on my machine but the battery life is greatly lacking when I use the faster card. If Apple is offering an upgrade I would take it.

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